Emotional Deception
by Hitsugi Zirkus
Summary: All he did was mess up. Kano knew what he'd have to do not to hurt Kido, yet he always did it. She had no idea of the extent of his deceptions. To her, it was something completely innocent, almost idiotic.


**A/N**: Hello there! This is my first fanfiction piece for the KagePro fandom -bows- Please regard me kindly. I wrote this for one of my best friends, Lina, who got me into the series some months ago -smiles- Ah, but I've only listened to a handful of songs and read the manga. So my knowledge of the series might be iffy compared to more experienced fans, so sorry if things turned out weird/incorrect or more fanon than canon -sweatdrop-

I do hope that if you read, you'll still find it enjoyable! -bows again-

**Emotional Deception**

What one perceives with the eye is always different from what is actually presented before a person - if it's even presented at all. Visual perception was what amused Kano, and the power he had taught him well how it was all in good fun to mess up what another person saw.

He could go out and murder someone and all a crowd would've seen is a teenaged boy smiling as he chatted on the phone with a friend. Or, you know, something less extreme, like maybe go out running naked. Okay, okay, he wasn't that wild. Like Kido would ever let him do such a thing anyway to prove he was even more of an idiot. Or do something like kill someone.

Kano smiled, lacing his fingers under his chin as he leaned over the coffee table. Sitting on the sofa was Kido, peacefully reading a light novel. Her hood was drawn up like most always, and Kano saw even less of her mature, angular face. Even so, Kano gave out stares that could be **felt**, and slowly Kido lowered her book to give him a demanding look in return.

"Yes?" she asked patiently.

"Nothing!" came Kano's swift reply. "I just wanted Kido to notice me. Haah, I'm a bit bored."

Kido rolled her eyes and lifted her book up again. "Then find a way to entertain yourself."

"I caaan't," he whined, now flopped onto the table with his arms out. "Kido, do something."

She huffed, drawing her legs closer to her. "Why do I have to do it? Get Mary or Seto, I'm sure they're lounging about here. Or call Momo, she's sure to entertain you," Kido replied tersely.

"Don't want to."

"Then it's your own fault you're bored, you squirrel."

Kano lifted his head up and smiled. "Are you saying I'm cute?" he lilted.

Kido pulled her book down again to give him a mild glare. "No, I'm saying you run from one thing to the next with total abandon. Maybe squirrel was wrong then, they **are** too cute for you," she said.

Now Kano pouted. "It's like Kido doesn't want to do anything with me." He tilted his head, trying to meet her eyes again. "Even though there was a time when she begged for me to play with her."

It was meant to be something light, an offhand comment. But like most other times when it came to Kano's teasing, Kido took it on a more personal level. The thing was, Kano knew that's exactly the kind of reaction she'd take to having.

"There's a lot of things I used to beg for," she replied, voice somehow more raspy. She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out her music player. That was usually the cue she was done listening and was ready to ignore anything else her companion would say.

As she fiddled with untangling her earphones, Kano couldn't help but raise amused brows. If serious was how Kido was going to be, then it would be with seriousness that he would talk to her. "So I would think you'd be more empathetic when it came to _ignoring_ someone," he told her in a deadpan.

Kido froze, her fingers still wrapped in wire as her red eyes stared intensely at the empty space before them. Red eyes that caused her so much trouble in the past, that should've given her so much attention - and they had, only in a more horrible way than kids clamoring around her. More like...her existence wasn't even there the moment those red eyes pierced into you.

The next second, after a thick silence in which no sound interrupted, she moved again. After plugging her earbuds in, she pulled the hood up some more, before she laid back and music blared out in a muffle against her ears.

Kano watched her reactions quietly, taking in every flinch and twitch. As careful as he could be with his words, he could also say things that, in retrospect, were a bit _careless_. It wasn't that his words weren't premeditated - no, Kano knew better than to say anything without thinking of any possible repercussions, such was the skill required to be the type of liar he was. He **knew** those kinds of words would upset Kido, knew it was like crossing an unspoken line, something made from **trust**.

Trust? **Him**? The thought was almost enough to want to stop dwelling in self-pity and bark out in laughter.

His own red eyes glanced up at Kido again, her face shadowed beneath her hood.

Yeah... Almost enough.

He let out a breath, straightening up. All he did was mess up. Kano knew what he'd have to do not to hurt Kido, yet he always did it. Why was it so hard for his mind to comprehend to shove down his own problems just to keep Kido afloat and make her happy? Maybe even happier than she was now?

Kano flipped open his cellphone, looked down at the picture of a young girl, sun shining down one side of her face framed with green hair and a closed smile spreading her pink lips. Oh. Oh yes, Kido was capable of this. Wasn't this worth seeing more in these recent years?

_Apparently not enough that I cannot change who I am_. Whoever…that even was.

This wasn't some visual deception. That was a power Kano had. It wasn't his nature though. Now that he thought of it, it was something more along the lines of **emotional** deception. Kano allowed himself a sad smile and propped his elbows on the table. Was that an overdramatic way to put it? Or is it something Kido would accuse him of? If she knew anything about it, that was. She had no idea of the extent of his deceptions. To her, it was something completely innocent, almost idiotic.

_She has no idea of anything_... _Either way, it doesn't change…this_, thought Kano. Kido could glare, scoff under her breath and call him an idiot, but it didn't change the fact that she knew the most about him. (Knew enough to know that even when Kano smiled and brought life into the group, he did it for the simple fact of being amused). Kido did not just know Kano, but the masks and shards of him that composed "Kano Shuuya". There were, of course, the parts of him secluded in the darkest dark - personalities, thoughts, and mindsets unknown to her.

And, perhaps, that was the reason nothing in Kano's life seemed to change.

He could say he was better at concealing than Kido was - but that wouldn't be true. _Because those parts of me aren't even there and disappear once I discard them_...

What a deception.

"What are you doing?" asked Kido suddenly, startling the other from his thoughts. She had one earbud out, and was looking at him from under her hood expectantly.

He locked his phone, placing it down. "Haah?" Instantly, the lightness replaced his dark contemplation as the pout returned to his lips. "Nothing, didn't I make that clear before?"

"Yeah, but..." She gave him a skeptical look, swinging her legs back over the edge of the sofa. Leaning in, she gazed at him purposefully. "You've been staring at your phone for awhile."

"I'm playing a game, since you won't play with me," he reminded her, even when his comment was, of course, a lie.

And it was one Kido noticed. "A staring game, perhaps?" she quipped, arching her brow. "I could do that with you."

If this was her offer for a truce, or a roundabout way for her to forgive him, Kano decided he would take it. He could use a silvertongue all he wanted to, but it never meant he liked dealing with the consequences of it. Besides that, it was just easier not to have Kido hate him. It made him...feel at ease to know she was on his side. Even if he had a habit of doing emotional matters completely wrong. He smiled at her. "Are you offering?"

The corner of her lips twitched in distaste. "I don't want to look into your eyes."

"Aah, why? But isn't that like the romantic thing to do?" Kano insisted, leaning over the table once more. He batted his eyelashes flirtatiously at her.

Kido wasn't rising to the bait. She wasn't even giving any indication she was taking his comments seriously, and they rolled off her without her making any expected responses. She straightened up, looking down at him in sheer unamusement. Kano could practically see the clockwork of her thoughts, knew exactly that she could spot the bullshit in his eyes a mile away. Kano knew it and Kido knew it but neither addressed it.

_And, maybe if I look properly, I can see how much that's always hurt you_.

"You're staring," Kano pointed out, voice lowered. He was returning Kido's gaze with equal intensity, and neither were daring to blink.

Kido only hummed in agreement.

"Staring into my eyes," he continued, leaning closer, voice even quieter now.

Kido's other earbud fell out, but she didn't seem to take notice as music spilled in muffled tones on the ground where the earphones landed. Instead, she hummed again, her red eyes growing larger as they neared closer to Kano's face.

Frowning slightly at her determination but nonetheless shifting so slowly to give himself better leverage to her, Kano voiced her last out. "You should blink," he advised her.

"No," she replied tersely. And with that, she lunged forward, her lips pressing onto Kano's.

It was firm, obviously a nervous kiss in which despite the determination in her eyes, Kido seemed unsure if this was okay to do. Kano encouraged her, pressing onto her mouth, mildly surprised at how soft her lips felt. Already he was teasing her in the back of his mind, that he didn't expect Kido to have such feminine lips, and have them so fairytale soft that he wanted to keep their mouths connected like this until they couldn't breathe.

_I notice you, Kido. I've always noticed you, no matter what. From the moment we've met, even when I seemed to lose sight of everything else... I swear, believe me on this... I've always noticed you._

_So... So I'm being selfish when I say..._

_Won't you please notice "me", too_?

It was a gentle tug-of-war, pressing and receding back. Nothing forced until it became a natural rhythm that they kissed one another. Words were exchanged even with their lips sealed on one another's - words spoken very quietly, and very gently with a fragility Kano was afraid would snap. When they pulled back, he was frowning again. He looked down at Kido's lips before glancing back up to her red pools. Breathing slightly unsteady, he told her, "I thought you didn't want to look into my eyes."

At that, the corners of Kido's lips quirked up, more and more until she was smiling. Kano half-expected the sun to be shining right behind her like a halo.

"I lied."


End file.
